SOYBEAN EMERGENCE AND DEVELOPMENT UNDER BRACHIARIA AND WHEAT RESIDUES

Much of soybeans area cultivated in Brazil uses the no-till system, where the residues produced by crops remain over the soil, reducing its temperature, increasing its moisture and providing a better development of the plant. However, the excessive amount of residues can cause problems, reducing the germination of seeds and growing smaller plants. That said, the aim of this study was to determine the wheat (Triticum aestivum) and braquiária (Brachiaria ruziziensis) straw volumes that enable better soybean plant growth, increase moisture and reduce soil temperature, and to minimize the negative effects on emergence plants in a sandy Ultisol of Sandstone Caiuá region of Northwest Paraná state. The experiment was conducted in vases, using a 2x6 factorial with two sources of residues, Brachiaria ruziziensis and Triticum aestivum and 6 doses of residues, 0, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 t ha-1, with 4 repetitions. It was evaluated the seedling emergence at 14 days after sowing, the fresh and dried mass of the aerial part of plants and plant roots, and the average height of the plants at 45 days after sowing. It was also evaluated the gravimetric soil moisture, the minimum and maximum temperature of the day on the ground, as well as the thermal range due to the doses and straw sources. The increase in straw doses resulted in an increase of soil moisture, average height and dried mass of plants, there was a reduction in maximum temperature and thermal soil range. However, there was a reduction in seedling emergence percentage as was increased the dose of residues. It was determined the 2.52 (± 0.33) t ha-1 of residues of braquiária and wheat deposited over the soil as the optimum range for the development of soybean plant